A View from Mel

Do you ever have those chores you wonder if it�s really worth doing yourself?

Well here is how the last couple days shaped up.

Thursday 7 am woke to no water.

7:30 Discovered an email from MJ asking for the water cos number 'cuz there had been no water since about 1:30 a.m.

8:30 Find out from Em her mom can't take Drew to his meeting, so email MJ who asks to get off work 2 hours early (wish my car was running to save him the time).

9:00 Water is back on so I rinse dishes and get them ready for the dishwasher.

10:30 Discover we have no *HOT* water. Check fuses and feel tank, tank feels warm.

2:30 MJ gets home says I have a problem, a radiator hose is leaking, we will need a new one Friday. Refill radiator with water and head off to find Drew's meeting.

5:00 Get home MJ rechecks everything for hot water heater. Does research, finds out the element has gone bad. Finds model calls around, Sears has them will send to us for $50 +shipping (don�t know why we can't go pick them up), do more research and finally about 8:30, discover Sears gave us the wrong info, we need 1 element not 2. Lowe's has it for $19.99 and we can just go pick it up.

Friday 3:30 MJ gets home (no work so sent home early).

4:00 Stop to refill jug with water to be sure we have it for the home trip.

4:30 Get to Marine office to change Drew's job (he's decided to go reservist, not full duty).

5:30 Leave there, put water in car.

5:45 Get to auto parts store to find leak and get new hose.

6:00 Auto parts guy comes to help 'cuz MJ can't see the leak and informs MJ it is not radiator hose.... it's blown head gasket.

6:30 Get to Lowe's and find the part, discover one cheaper so ask plumbing guy why the difference. He says the double will work more efficiently and cut power bill (worth the extra $10!)

7:00 Go to wally get some groceries and cat stuff. Put water in car, car doesn�t need it (yeah not leaking as bad as we thought!)

7:30 Get home, turn off water.

7:45 Discover our biggest wrench is not big enough. Neighbors are not home, fight with wrench for an hour trying to get it to open more (has a clip stopping it).

9:00 Decide it won't open more, neighbor still not home (neighbor is all purpose contractor and has every tool known!)

9:30 Head back to town to get new wrench to begin job.

10:00 Get to Wal-Mart and search for pipe wrench. Finally find one after getting the plumbing guy to help us out. Plumbing guy says he has done this job and it's not too bad.

10:30 Get home, send Chris off to his friend's. Drew helps MJ get the element unscrewed.

11:00 Still fighting it. It's like it was cemented on or something!

12:00 Finally get it off to discover it has broken off inside the unit AND the unit did not drain as supposed to, quickly fashion a trough (out of newly purchased al. foil) for water to go out of back door.

12:30 Water is gone. MJ finds the thing *was* cemented in, the inside is almost solid packed with lime. So, from 12:30 to 3:30 MJ lays on the floor chiseling lime out of the tank. End result, so much lime in a trash bag I can not lift it, I can lift up to 40 lbs.

3:30 Drew gets up (had a function today he had to go to) and turns water back on goes back to bed.

4:00 MJ gets the first HOT shower available in 2 days!

We are still beat but got up to see Drew off to the function. Now if I can just get the energy up to clean the house., wash all the towels we used stemming the flood of HOT water that would not leave the tank but out the wrong pipe...

Well it is Monday, and I have a good start on my day, though as I survey the bomb site that was my home, I do get weak in the knees!

So far already I have made MJ his lunch (he begins jury duty today, though he hopes they send him home!), watered the front plants, and began burning trash, it so far has not made a dent in all I need to do!

Drew is over at a friend�s house and Chris is still asleep, I sit and relax and remember all my blessings.

Well I suppose I need to begin on the kitchen, it seems the worst affected area, I guess 2 days of no hot water and 3 days of going to town take a bigger toll on my home that I thought!

Though I must say the rose out front is doing marvelous to keep me chirked up, it is blooming profusely! Even in the heat of the day!

You all have a marvelous week!